This invention relates to devices for exercising vaginal muscles.
The present invention is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 615,052, filed May 29, 1984, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,514, which in turn was a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 219,241, filed Dec. 22, 1980, now abandoned, filed in the name of the present inventor and assigned to the same assignee.
The object of the present invention is to afford a novel device for use in exercising vaginal muscles.
Another object is to afford a novel device of the aforementioned type which may be readily and easily inserted into a vagina.
A further object is to afford a novel device of the aforementioned type, the parts of which are constituted and arranged in a novel and expeditous manner effective to protect the female against injury during insertion thereof into the vagina and during use thereof in the exercising of the vaginal muscles.
Weakness of the muscles of the pelvic floor is common among the adult female population, and, particularly among those women who have borne children. Advanced degrees of weakness of these muscles culminate in loss of support of the bladder, urethra, rectum and uterus.
Exercise is a well established means of obtaining and maintaining muscle fitness. Exercises may be classified into passive, active and resistive categories. Resistive exercises require the use of muscles against a force which, commonly, is relatively small at the beginning of an exercise program and gradually increases as the muscle tone and strength increase.
The pelvic floor muscles support the vaginal walls. It is an important object of the present invention to afford a novel device for use in resistive exercising of these muscles.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel exercise device of the aforementioned type, which, when inserted into position of use in a vagina, exerts a soft, yielding minimal pressure or force against the vaginal walls, which force increases as the vaginal muscles are exercised and contract.
A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel exercise device of the aforementioned type, wherein the parts thereof are so constituted and arranged that, in use, the female using the device is able to recognize the degree of muscle activity being exerted by her own sensations.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel device of the aforementioned type, which, if desired, may embody a measuring device for indicating the amount of muscle contraction taking place during exercise by measurement of the volume of air displaced from the device.
A still further object of the present invention is to afford a novel exercise device of the aforementioned type which is practical and efficient in opertion, and which may readily and economically produced commercially.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel device of the aforementioned type wherein the resistive force thereof increases with increases in the tone and strength of the muscles.
Exercise devices for insertion into the vagina have been heretofore known in the art, being shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,507,858, issued to Arnold Kegal; 2,541,520, issued to Arnold Kegal; 3,598,106, issued to Eric Bumning; 3,726,273, issued to Ned S. Cole; 4,048,985, issued to Howard A. Sasse; 4,050,449, issued to Frank S. Castellana, et al; 4,106,489, issued to Kenneth W. Martin; and 4,216,783, issued to Howard Kaiser.
Exercise devices of the aforementioned type, which have been heretofore known in the art, have commonly had several inherent disadvantages, such as, for example, being difficult to insert into the vagina; being painful to insert into the vagina or being painful in use during exercising of the vaginal muscles; being so constituted and arranged as to create danger of injury to the vagina during insertion thereinto and/or during use therein; or creating a maximum initial pressure against the vaginal walls, which, in the use thereof, can be the cause of injury or damage to such walls, and the like and also because the compositions of such devices are latex or rubber, such materials being irritating to human tissue and difficult to clean and maintain for repetitive use. Thus, these prior art devices do not permit true resistive exercising which is a most important factor in their usage and these prior art devices do not include an inert material in their constructions. Also, such prior art devices do not permit the user to accurately self measure progress in building muscle strength by measuring the displaced volume of air because they are a closed system. In the present invention, when in use, the vaginal exercise device is open to the atmosphere to thereby permit the measurement of displaced volume of air or air flow from within the cuff portion of the exercise device. Finally, the prior art devices are bulky in appearance which discourages their use. The advantage of the present invention is that it permits the sponge to be compressed (or sucked down) into the recessed area of the rod--this decreases the bulkiness of the device during either insertion or withdrawal from the vagina. It is an important object of the present invention to overcome such disadvantages of the prior art devices.
The present invention is related to co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 615,052, filed May 29, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,514 which in turn was a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 219,241, filed Dec. 22, 1980, now abandoned filed in the name of the present inventor and assigned to the same assignee.
Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.